Student Leadership Development Models South African Federation of Student Affairs and ServicesBirgit Schreiber, PhDTonia Overmeyer, MBA

Policy Context

• National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) places higher education in a “pivotal role in political, economic and cultural reconstruction and development of South Africa” (DoE, 1997, p. 1)

• Student Affairs support for student governance (DoE, 1996, p. 12)

• “Student Service Council with policy advisory functions” which includes student leadership (DoE, 1996, p. 12)

• higher education to contribute towards developing “enlightened, responsible and constructively critical citizens” (DoE, 1997, section 1.3)

• White Paper 3 (1997) and Green Paper for PSET (2012): explicit demand to develop student leadership

Discursive Context

Graduate Attributes

- core competencies, sustainable outcomes and generic, transferable orkey skills and capabilities

- creative and critical thinking; global perspectives; and work‐integrated learning. (ACER, 2010; Kuh, 2001; EHEA, 2006)

Student Engagement

- active citizenship (students and institutions work together to enable challenges to social beliefs and practices) (Kuh, 2001)

“Student Affairs includes developing frameworks for graduate attributes and active citizenship, including ethics, social justice, equity, accessibility, environmental sustainability and internationalisation” (Trowler & Trowler, 2010)

Tensions btw individualistic and participatory notions of leadership

- Historical changes around leadership theory - related cultural changes in positionality, merit and participation

Background to the ProgrammeKelly, 2009

University

Social Justice

Leadership

Agency

MDG

NDP

Global Citizenship

UWC a fertile space for leadership development

PMP

GEURESLIFE

Sport

Faculty

SocietiesCommunity Engagement

Religious Organisations

LSR

Background to the Programme

Leadership Development

Student Organisational Development

Social Responsibility

Entrepreneurship Enactus

Leadership theories and the history of development of theory

CONCEPT - Leadership – loaded interpretation based on interpreter’s encounters, experience, context.

• internalised identity • shared processes • civic engagement • developmental

mentors • positive group

experiences

• abuses of power • positionality• impersonal focus

on end goals• marginalisation

Contrasting perspectives and tensions find expression in evolution of leadership theory

Make sense – inform development approach and practise

Contrasting Leadership Paradigms

Development and

empowerment of follower

Contemporary

Mobilise motivate influenceEffective

management

Leadercentric

Authority focus

Hierarchy Achieveme

nt Individualist

ic

Conventional

MEMe

influences them

Development of us

Contrasting Leadership Paradigms

Development and

empowerment of follower

Contemporary

Mobilise motivate influenceEffective

management

Leadercentric

Authority focus

Hierarchy Achieveme

nt Individualist

ic

Conventional

MEMe

influences them

Development of us

STUCK

Conventional vs Contemporary LeadershipContrasting Leadership Paradigms

Conventional Contemporary

Hierarchical Orientation Systems Orientation

Multidirectional nature of leadership – leading up down, sideways and outMultidimensional nature of leadership - influencers, contextCoaching, Curriculum

Leader role – authority, deciderFollowers to be ledLeader – led

Leader role – facilitator, meaning makerFollowers as leaders, non-positional leadershipLeaderful

Qualities and Competencies – Development of Leadership Identity collaboration, empathy, self-awareness Applicability of this approach to active citizenshipAgency

Change initiated from the top

Change initiated from anywhere

Conventional vs Contemporary Leadership

Contrasting Leadership ParadigmsConventional ContemporaryPower over Power with

Building Sustainable support networks, competition versus collaboration, connecting with personal power

Personal Vision Shared VisionAlignment – must find expression and alignment in organisations.

Efficiency and Effective Socially JustAlignment of Efficiency and Effective action in the cause of Socially Just. Underline good intentions with practical project skills and action that will bring it to fruition. Policy and Implementation crisis.

Share informationProviders

Create knowledgePartners

This is not only applicable to Leaders, but to the way we connect with our students. Relational and not transactional. Content heavy vs applicability.

Linear Causality Adaptive solutions

Entrepreneurial mindset, creativity. Steering towards ? and not . What is next right answer? 

Example

Conventional Contemporary

Hierarchy – top down Systems - multidirectional

Who do we work with? Positions

Potential change makers, merit, talent

Change - top Change - from anywhere

Passive Participatory and agency

Drive to Efficiency Drive to Social justice

Alignment of Efficiency and Effective action in the cause of Socially Just. Underline good intentions with practical project skills and action that will bring it to fruition. Policy and Implementation crisis.

Contemporary Leadership Theories

Transformative Leadership • Bernard Bass 1985 - what is the dynamic between the leader

and the followers that elevates the follower to become leaders themselves?

Relational, Collaborative and Shared Leadership theories• Interdependence and relational – Pearce and Congers’ shared

leadership• Susan R. Komives, Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon’s

(2007)Advocated for leadership as an ethical and relational process of people working together for positive change. Viewing the group as a community, roles (both positional leaders and members) fluctuated, reflecting a shared leadership when working together toward outcomes.

In these models, individuals in positional roles engage infacilitative, distributive leadership, diminishing power differentialsto build collegial systems.

Social Change Model for Leadership Development

Social Change Model for Leadership Development

Building Sustainable Support Networks

Self Development

General Leadership

PPSSocial Responsibility

Grounded Theory Model of High-QualityLeadership Programs

Cluster I: Participants Engaged in Buildingand Sustaining a Learning Community1. Diverse Students2.Experienced Practitioners3.Modeling Educators4.Small Groups5.Supportive Culture6.One-on-One Relationships

Grounded Theory Model of High-QualityLeadership Programs

Cluster II: Student-CenteredExperiential Learning Experiences7. Leadership Practice8. Reflection Activities9. Application in Meetings10. Meaningful Discussions11. Episodes of Difference12. Civic Service13. Discovery Retreats

Grounded Theory Model of High-QualityLeadership Programs

Cluster III: Research-Grounded Continuous Program Development14. Flexible Design15. Values Content16. Systems Thinking

Common themes within contemporary leadership theories, implications for programme development.

• Importance of self development• Social Responsibility• Power and Shared Responsibility• Acknowledgement of the complexity of

leadership• Theory-building is continuously

developing process – in line with continuous improvement and action learning of the reflective practitioner

• Although common themes – there is a general lack of definitional clarity both within and between theories.

What stage is next?

THANK YOU